Arrival to Cuenca; Private guided city tour and hands-on cooking class

Upon arrival in Cuenca, Ecuador’s third largest city, you depart from your hotel on a private guided walking tour of the historic center—declared a UNESCO World Heritage site because of its beautifully preserved Spanish and French-influenced colonial architecture and setting. Located in the Andes at just over 8,000 feet, the city is at the confluence of four rivers that drain into the Amazon Basin and was originally settled by the Cañari people, who were conquered by the Inca. With the arrival of the Spanish, colonial churches and monasteries were constructed in a grid pattern; now, narrow cobbled streets are lined with buildings dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, and nearby are the Pumapungo Inca ruins. Especially striking, as you explore Cuenca, are the traditional clothes of the indigenous women of the region—brightly colored skirts, white blouses, ikat scarves, and the immediately recognizable “Panama hat”; unfortunately misnamed for another country, the “sombrero de paja toquilla” originated in this region and you will have the opportunity to visit the straw weaver artisans who still make them.

Later, for the perfect entrée into the local culture, you make your way to the kitchen for a hands-on cooking class of Ecuadorian cuisine, which has achieved a delicious balance of European and Andean traditions, of course, followed by lunch to enjoy the fruits of your labor. But, the first stop is the local market to pick up fresh ingredients, perhaps including seafood from the nearby Pacific. On the menu may be aji and mote pillo, a traditional polenta-style corn meal dish. Returning to your hotel in the later afternoon, the remainder of the evening is yours to explore the city or relax at your comfortable hotel.

Guided walk from Tolapaloma to Quebrada El Salado; 6 miles, easy to moderate, 800-ft descent

After a copious breakfast at your hotel, a 10-mile drive takes you outside Cuenca to the start of a guided walk in a high Andean valley. A landscape that defines the Andean Cordillera range, a series of rolling hills and ravines open up to dramatic views alternating between forest and open grassland. Flora along the trail include orchids and other hanging epiphytes and polilepis trees—whose dense foliage is unique to the Andes—while a number of hummingbirds can also be spotted in the region. A steady descent concludes at a collection of volcanic hot spring pools, where you may choose to enjoy a soak before the short drive back to Cuenca. The remainder of the afternoon and evening are free to continue exploring Cuenca.

El Cajas National Park: guided walk in Llaviuco Valley; easy to moderate, 2 miles, easy (at an elevation of 10,367 ft)

This morning you again set off in the countryside surrounding Cuenca, about a 25-mile drive, towards the picturesque cattle ranches of the Llaviuco Valley, until ascending to spectacular El Cajas National Park, a protected area of ~71,000 acres rising from 10,000 to 14,000 feet in elevation, and which is known for its an amazing collection of 230 glacial lakes, tundra ecosystem, and mountain vistas. A loop walk takes you around the glacially formed, “U”-shaped Lake Llaviuco, at the park’s lowest elevation, where you are surrounded by rolling grassland, wild quinoa, and rosemary. Especially rich in bird-life, the park is home to the endangered South American condor as well as the Giant hummingbird and the Curiquinga, a large black and white raptor—be sure to bring your binoculars. Andean fox, white tailed deer, and spectacled bear are also found in the park. Descending through lush cloud forest, you return to Cuenca in the later afternoon to enjoy a final evening in its charming colonial center.

Departure

After breakfast, you depart the hotel at your leisure and transfer to the airport for your onward travels.